the brightest of all the colors
by Measured
Summary: After catching Hikari and Takeru together, Daisuke spends his summer as close to Ken as possible. Daisuke/Ken.


the brightest of all the colors.

Done at random for the April showers/May flowers meme on lj. Original title: your voice was the soundtrack of my summer.

God, it's been YEARS. Seriously, I haven't seen this since I was about ten, but her icon was so cute it apparently brought about a latent plotbunny.

I think Ken is vaguely OOC, but for my defense he did spend the latter half of the series crying, angsting, being shy and being gay for Daisuke. And the whole haven't-seen-since-I-was-ten thing.

summary: After catching Hikari and Takeru together, Daisuke spends his summer as close to Ken as possible. Daisuke/Ken.

* * *

Daisuke spent nearly a week at Ken's house the day Takeru and Hikari went steady. It was the first week of summer, he had caught them lip-locked, her hands clasped behind his neck, his hand on her arm.

He did the only sensible thing and spouted hurt apologetic gibberish before running all the way to Ken's house.

Ken parents didn't mind his constant presence, they were simply happy to see their sun smiling again.

Daisuke only moped for about a day, because whenever he was around Ken, Hikari disappeared. Daisuke got caught in the gentleness of Ken's voice (softer than hers, like the difference between water and sunlight)

Daisuke liked Ken, he always had. Even when Ken was on the other side, when everyone else wouldn't trust him, even when he was caught in the waves of delusion, he always believed in him. Somehow, Daisuke thought they'd always be friends and he'd always keep believing in Ken. Daisuke was hopeful like that, but when he said it like that, Ken believed too.

* * *

Daisuke laid on the air-mattress, sucking on juice and half-watching the latest soccer game (Japan was up for the World Cup, but France was ahead in the score.). His attention was sidetracked by the sound of pencil and paper, Ken muttering equations to himself.

"Who studies during the _summertime_?" Daisuke said and Ken laughed.

"I have to keep my grades up if I want to get into a first rate college," Ken said apologetically.

"I don't even know where I want to go, I don't want to think that far aheadddd," Daisuke whined and Ken smiled to himself.

"You know what? When we're older, we should play soccer! We can be roommates then. We'll be on the same team and then no one could ever defeat us!"

"But we'd still have to study," Ken said.

"Arrrgh. I forgot about that! Wait, I'll teach you my super special goalie-beating technique if you help me with my homework!"

Ken smiled. "It's a deal."

"Pinkie promise?"

"Pinkie promise," Ken said and locked his pinkie with Daisuke's

* * *

Daisuke spent that summer with Ken more than anyone else. Iori and Miyako always mentioned Hikari, and Takeru by default and he doesn't want to think about them. It hurt still, he felt awkward about her happiness.

Ken's parents asked him along to their vacation, down to the shore in the south. It didn't take too much begging on his part to his parents who are all too glad to not have their son underfoot.

While notoriously bad in car trips, he never got bored all five hours of the drive, even in the two hours of traffic in heat that reached the high-nineties. They talked the entire time, soccer scores (Daisuke believed Japan would prevail even with their losses, Ken was more realistic)

* * *

The sand was burning, the water is freezing and Daisuke vaulted from one to the other.

"Hot—! Co-Cold–!" He yelled, twirling and hopping.

Ken laughed the spectacle, laughed until Daisuke pulled him in and then he was freezing and hot and they both were laughing. They wrestled, Daisuke trying his best to dunk Ken in the water and Ken trying his best to _not_ get dunked until they both fell, laughing and now completely soaked.

Daisuke noticed that Ken's skin was very white, his mother insisted on whole slabs of sunscreen lest he shrivel up, but Daisuke liked it. Even if Ken looked girly and waifish, Daisuke liked it. (Sometimes he had to admit to himself that Ken was prettier than Hikari, though that thought left him more and more confused as the trip went on.)

* * *

By mid-day when it was too hot to do anything else, they got ice cream from a vendor at the shore. Strawberry for Ken, a scoop of both vanilla and chocolate for Daisuke.

Ken smiled shyly and laughed at Daisuke's ice cream-covered face. Daisuke got his revenge by leaning in and stealing licks from Ken's cone. (Ken explained away his flushed face as a mix of heat exhaustion and a growing sunburn.)

Later on when it had cooled enough to make the sand traversable, they went back. Ken and Daisuke collected seashells in little orange plastic buckets until the sun went down, the sky turning all kinds of colors, gold and magenta, daek blue like Ken's hair and eyes. They stayed up deep into the night making plans for so many other summers. Daisuke thought it was the best time he could ever remember.

* * *

Daisuke cut his foot on the second day, from a peace of deep green glass that lay hidden under the sands. Both Ken and his mother fussed incessantly, checking his bandage, making him keep his injured foot propped up, bringing him drinks.

It still hurt, but Daisuke would be lying if he said he didn't like the attention.

* * *

He didn't see Hikari again until the first of the new school year. She was standing in the hallway, collecting her things. Her hair had grown out a bit, he remembered hearing something about Takeru liking long hair.

"So, um, Hikari," he said.

"Oh, Daisuke... Long time no see!" She said.

"Yeah," he said, somewhat embarrassed.

Knowing if he didn't say it now he'd never say it, he took one step and it all burst out.

"I'm glad to hear about you two finally getting together. I guess it was meant to be and stuff. Oh, and if he ever hurts you? I'll totally beat him up."

She giggled.

The bell rang and they both had to rush to different classes. Daisuke was surprised how painless it was. His heart didn't hurt at all, looking back, his affection seemed almost infantile, a kiddie crush that you laugh at when you're old.

* * *

"You know, it's weird, when I saw her it didn't hurt as much as I thought it would."

Ken nodded sympathetically from the bed.

He'd spent so many days there Ken's parents had started to affectionately joke that he was "their other son". There were jokes about adoption and Daisuke honestly wouldn't mind being taken in.

Ken's mom is an excellent cook. They're a quiet family, and even if he wasn't the more intuitive person, Daisuke knew they adored Ken more than anything.

"So... I guess this means you won't be having a girlfriend," Ken said. There was an odd shakiness to his voice, as if he was attempting to give the impression of not caring, yet failing miserably at it.

"Phht, girls are stupid, they'd just distract us from going soccer pro, right?"

"Yeah..." Ken said, his voice trailing off.

Daisuke touched Ken's hand, feeling the warm against his palm. "So, let's promise we'll make it, and not let any stupid girls ever get in-between us. Ok?"

The truth was, no girl had even crossed his mind that summer. Just Ken. Hikari was a far off island in his memory, all the other girls paled in comparison to him.

Daisuke thought at that moment he felt weird, like when he had liked Hikari, but different, deeper. He squirmed because it was pleasant and strange and he wanted to feel more and get closer. Thinking of the consequences never even crossed his mind. He clasped his hand with Ken's, fingers interlocking and Ken looked shocked, and stiffened when their lips met. It was clumsy and sweet, he felt Ken's grip tighten against his and Ken responding to him. When they broke apart they were both panting.

"Yeah, um, we're going to be awesome together, no one will ever be able to get past us...ever," Daisuke said in between desperate breaths. He still hadn't quite gotten the hang of breathing through his nose, it felt like drowning but it was beautiful and great and he wanted so much more.

Ken's face was very red, but he was smiling.

"We'll always be together. Pinkie promise?"

"Pinkie promise," Ken said.


End file.
